James 4

1 From whence [come] wars and fightings among you? [come they] not hence, [even] of your lusts that war in your members?

Where do quarrels and disputes among you come from? Do they not come from your desires that fight among your members?

2 Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not.

You desire, and you do not have. You kill and covet, and you are not able to obtain. You fight and quarrel. You do not possess because you do not ask.

3 Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume [it] upon your lusts.

You ask and do not receive because you ask badly, in order that you may use it for your desires.

4 Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.

You adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility against God? So whoever wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.

5 Do ye think that the scripture saith in vain, The spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy?

Or do you think the scripture says in vain, “The Spirit he caused to live in us is deeply jealous”?

6 But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.

But God gives more grace, so the scripture says, “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.”

7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

So submit to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

8 Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse [your] hands, [ye] sinners; and purify [your] hearts, [ye] double minded.

Come close to God, and he will come close to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.

9 Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and [your] joy to heaviness.

Grieve, mourn, and cry! Let your laughter turn into sadness and your joy into gloom.

10 Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.

Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.

11 Speak not evil one of another, brethren. He that speaketh evil of [his] brother, and judgeth his brother, speaketh evil of the law, and judgeth the law: but if thou judge the law, thou art not a doer of the law, but a judge.

Do not speak against one another, brothers. The person who speaks against a brother or judges his brother speaks against the law and judges the law. If you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law, but a judge.

12 There is one lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy: who art thou that judgest another?

Only one is the lawgiver and judge. He is the one who is able to save and to destroy. Who are you, you who judge your neighbor?

13 Go to now, ye that say, To day or to morrow we will go into such a city, and continue there a year, and buy and sell, and get gain:

Now listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into this city, spend a year there, trade, and make a profit.”

14 Whereas ye know not what [shall be] on the morrow. For what [is] your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.

Who knows what will happen tomorrow, and what is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little while and then disappears.

15 For that ye [ought] to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that.

Instead, you should say, “If the Lord wishes, we will live and do this or that.”

16 But now ye rejoice in your boastings: all such rejoicing is evil.

But now you are boasting about your arrogant plans. All such boasting is evil.

17 Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth [it] not, to him it is sin.

So for anyone who knows to do good but does not do it, for him it is sin.